Is this the correct BellTech kit for me?

Kapitein said:

07 Suburban LTZ 5.3 4WD with the factory air ride and mag shocks on the front (Z95?)

Would this be the correct Belltech kit for me?

Belltech Sport Trucks and Muscle Cars

Lower your Sport Truck or SUV right the first time. Belltech Street Performance complete lowering kits include all the parts, pieces and shock absorbers you need to achieve not only the look you WANT, but the ride quality, performance & safety you NEED. B

www.belltech.com

or this one?

Belltech Sport Trucks and Muscle Cars

Lower your Sport Truck or SUV right the first time. Belltech Street Performance complete lowering kits include all the parts, pieces and shock absorbers you need to achieve not only the look you WANT, but the ride quality, performance & safety you NEED. B

www.belltech.com

Or is there something else people recommend?

I guess I need to order up some resistors for the suspension too, otherwise there will be CELs, right?

Thanks

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iamdub said:

Their site is so difficult to understand. They show spindles and adjustable struts for a 2" drop.

Let's do it this way: How much drop do you want and do you want to keep MagneRide and/or Auto Leveling Control?

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Kapitein said:

I'm glad it's not just me that finds their website to be somewhat annoying!!

I would like to drop 2-4".

I don't want to keep the airride or magnetic shocks, mine are worn out and need replacing.

Thanks

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iamdub said:

Front:
For a 2" drop that minimizes affect to the factory suspension, spindles are your answer.
If you wanna kill two birds with one stone, struts would do it. There should be enough adjustment in the slots to align it after lowering with struts. But, there's a small chance they could be insufficient. Belltech has alignment eccentrics ("cams") that yield an additional degree of adjustment if it comes down to it. I'd do this long before replacing the bushings in the upper control arms with the offset ones. You shouldn't need to even worry with this with only 2" of non-spindle drop.

Rear:
The only way to lower the rear is to change the springs. The BT drop coils seem to be good, but many report that they're a bit soft. A set of load assist bags (Air Lift and Firestone offer them) are an easy and relatively cheap solution. There are plenty of options for a 4" drop coil from other companies. Hell, I'm using stock coils from a Jeep TJ in mine- cheapest 4"+ drop coil ever! You can get the Belltech Street Performance shocks to complement the SP struts. I think they're 2" shorter than stock, so adding the extenders is how you would return the missing 2" of travel.

To delete ALC: Disconnect the battery, remove some fuses then reconnect the battery. I forget which fuses, but that info can be found here or elsewhere online. You might have to keep the compressor in place and plugged in due to the other components that might be wired through it. Not completely sure. I replaced my compressor as I want to use it to air up the Air Lift bags.

To delete MagneRide: If it's the same as AutoRide (with the bi-state damping shocks), you just wire in some high-power resistors.

Before you do anything, mark the ride height sensors at each corner so you can put them back at these points after the drop. I marked the part that rotates and the body of the sensor with a silver Sharpie. I then scored a line in the center of that mark with my razor knife so I'd have a highly visible and (literally) razor sharp alignment line for utmost accuracy. I made shorter links out of small all-thread rods. Long screws of the same size with the heads cut off would achieve the same. The suspension system makes changes according to the input from the ride height sensors. So, if they're far from their original "0" point, it'll constantly be trying to send power to the resistors you have wired in to replicate the shocks. Minimize this wasted energy and heated resistors by having the height sensors at their previous "0" point.

Another point: Ride quality is subjective. Some say the BT struts and shocks ride great while others say they're too firm. I'm one of those that thinks they ride too firm. They don't ride 'bad' and I'd say they do ride good on the highway with slower suspension cycling. It's the quick, sharp jolts that they don't absorb so well. I think this is just a product of trying to have a one-size-fits-all shock to strike a balance between a controlled, sporty ride and a comfy highway cruising feel. For an LTZ, I'd prefer a little cushier ride, especially since most of my driving is on country roads. I have nice sway bars to have sporty handling in the turns. I have Bilstein 4600 series shocks in the rear and I think they, coupled with the Jeep coils, ride great. The front is a little too firm for my preference and I'll probably be swapping to Bilstein 4600 struts and mounting them under the control arms to maintain my drop.

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Kapitein said:

Thanks for that answer, super detailed


I had contact with BellTech, and they have recommended the 753SP kit, which looks to be a complete kit on spindles...

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Kapitein said:

Because my front struts also need replacing, I guess the correct thing to do at this point is also purchase some 'regular' new struts to go on the front. Something like this?

More Information for ULTRA-POWER SK2954

Then I should be good to go

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iamdub said:

That kit would be a complete, one-and-done package. But you're buying things you don't need for a 2"/4" drop as well as buying things that are more difficult to install.

If you think you'd ever wanna go lower in the front, then the kit would be fine since you'll have the struts.



My USA prices are probably irrelevant to you, so price out the following:

*** Spindles (Belltech #2509 if you'll never lower it more than the 2" from the spindles, #2511 if you might go lower)

*** Rear 4" drop kit (Belltech #34324)

*** Struts of your choice (stock replacement/non-lowering)

*** Belltech 2410FF shocks for the rear


Buying just what you need for the drop leaves you open to buy better quality struts and shocks if really nice ride quality is a concern.


I'd hold off on any of the alignment help parts until you decide to go lower, if ever. With spindles only, you won't need any alignment help such as the offset bushings or the cams that allow an additional 1° of adjustment. Instead of the offset bushings, you can get the alignment cams (Belltech #4951) for much less cost and easier install. This will leave you open to using good quality bushings for when it's time to replace them (or your whole upper control arm).





I can't speak for the build or ride quality of those struts and the #753SP kit comes with struts. But if ride quality isn't all that much of a concern, then you could just lower yours with the struts. All you'd need then is the Belltech #752SP. It still has them damned offset bushings. If you find you're within a degree of adjustment lacking for the alignment, get the cams/eccentrics. It doesn't have the pre-fabbed ride height sensor links. But you can make your own out of some long screws or all thread rod for a few bucks.


Basically, you can spend $1,086 and have more stuff than you need or want or spend ~$730 and have your 2"/4" drop with new struts and shocks.

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